The Negotiation
Thanks to the government's efforts, the media exposure regarding me was handled effectively.
A staggering sum of 1 trillion won was paid out as compensation. Once I confirmed that the payments for the byproducts of the monsters I had hunted were also fully settled, I couldn't help but think to myself: Making money really is easy, isn't it?
"2.3 trillion, huh...."
The number of monsters I had hunted was a whopping 9,447. Because I had used white magic while hunting the hellhounds, they weren't contaminated by dark mana, allowing me to fetch the proper market price for them.
Considering they trade for an average of 150 million won per head, I was able to net a massive 1.3 trillion won after accounting for processing fees and other costs.
"You're rich, aren't you?" Ahn Somi asked, her eyes sparkling as she checked the compensation amount.
"I was rich even without this, wasn't I?"
"I'm honestly so jealous. You don't even have anywhere to spend it, do you?"
"I have plenty of places to spend it. This amount isn't even enough."
"...What do you spend it on?"
Instead of answering, I offered a smile. Ahn Somi, clearly frustrated, pressed me for an answer, but I simply told her I was going out for a bit and left the company.
The place I headed to was the Dark Mage Association.
"Don't you think you visit a bit too often?"
"It's not like visiting often is a good thing, is it?"
"Tsk, you should say it's nice to see me, you brat!"
I lightly dodged his swinging hand and asked, "Where is Go Yujin?"
"Are you interested in my granddaughter?"
"Would I be?"
"Hah, this kid really...!"
He’s the type who would complain even if I were interested. So, I got straight to the point.
"How are the war victims being treated these days?"
"Tsk, the government subsidies have been shrinking day by day, and now they're practically non-existent. Why?"
"What is the annual budget?"
"Over 30,000 dark mages died during the war. Not many of them had families, but there are still thousands. It costs over 100 billion won annually just for tuition and living subsidies. Why?"
"That's less than I thought."
"Even if I wanted to give more, the funding is insufficient."
"If you were to give the maximum amount, how much would you need?"
Jeong Gil-sun stared at me intently. Then, he asked seriously, "Why on earth are you asking this?"
"I'm planning to increase my donations."
"I won't take your money. No, I can't! Do you know how much you've already coughed up? Why increase it? Stop it!"
Jeong Gil-sun barked, so I replied, "That's exactly why I was going to talk to Go Yujin."
"You little...!"
Jeong Gil-sun lunged to try and smack me, but his efforts were all in vain. He stood there panting, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me, when Go Yujin appeared on the top floor, looking as if he had just finished a busy schedule.
"Are you two bickering again?"
"I'm innocent. The old man keeps picking on me."
"Are you sure you aren't provoking him?"
"No, I just said I wanted to donate more, and he reacted like this."
"We won't take it."
I paused at Go Yujin's words. "...Did you two plan this?"
"The money you send every year is already in the billions. That alone is a huge amount, and to us, it's a debt. It may be under the guise of a donation, but it's a debt of the heart."
"I, too, am trying to lighten that debt of the heart. It's a debt I'm paying back to the comrades who trusted me and risked their lives."
"It's already enough. There are many who have overcome hardships thanks to your help over the past few years."
"But don't you need more money in the future?"
Go Yujin sighed. "We aren't in a situation where we're struggling that badly. And you have no reason to take responsibility for it. It's the country's job, and it's our job as those who stepped up to do it in their stead."
A strong will permeated Go Yujin's firm words. Jeong Gil-sun, who had been listening, nodded as well.
"I don't mean to disregard your heart, and perhaps with your help, we could do more. But this is not what we desire."
Seeing their resolve, I ended my brief contemplation. "Then I will do as I please."
And then, I began to pour out the money I had looted from the Doomsday Cultist I had taken down earlier.
The musty, rotting smell of money filled the room.
Pointing to the mountain of cash that would be an understatement to call a pile, I said, "I picked it up on the way."
"...Are you insane?"
"That's right. Are you really crazy?"
Seeing the expressions of two men who couldn't comprehend the situation, I spoke. "Don't just think about welfare; pay attention to training the next generation, too. A time will come when we need to muster our strength again."
Hearing my words, their expressions hardened. Then Jeong Gil-sun asked, "Something happened, didn't it? Is there some truth you know?"
I wanted to spill everything I knew, but I shook my head, not knowing what kind of reckless actions the Dark Mage Association might take if they knew the full truth.
"It's an investment for the future. Use this money to try various things. I want you to go beyond just acquiring something the Tower possesses—I want you to take more."
"I know you have a grudge against the Tower, but there must be a reason you'd go that far, right?"
"Stop trying to figure it out. Are you going to do it, or not?"
"And if we don't?"
"Then I'll have to punish you."
I began pouring out more money from my subspace, and the two men were disgusted by the continuous dumping of cash.
"You madman, do you think this kind of stunt will work?!"
"It feels like it's working on your granddaughter, though?"
Go Yujin was beyond bewildered, bordering on horrified. In the tense situation, he hurriedly grabbed Jeong Gil-sun and said, "That man isn't a rational person! Grandfather, stop provoking him!"
Jeong Gil-sun shut his mouth because of the sharp reprimand. So, I made a demand to the two of them.
"Use this to further strengthen the rights and interests of dark mages. Expand the business on a large scale and try to increase your influence, too."
"Just what... what kind of picture are you painting?"
"It's trivial. A world where everyone can live like human beings. Isn't that nice?"
Jeong Gil-sun shook his head, and Go Yujin looked at me with a strange gaze.
After leaving the Dark Mage Association, I checked my subspace.
'Now, there's only as much left as what I just poured out.'
The bundles of cash the Doomsday Cultists had hidden in their treasure vault felt like they amounted to tens of trillions. They had accumulated that much immense wealth.
On top of that, that was just the cash; if you included magic stones and artifacts, the wealth was so vast it was hard to even calculate its value.
It could be assumed that the funds from the Tower and money pouring in from various fields had all been gathered there, and I could finally understand why the Doomsday Cultist had been trying so hard to maintain influence over me.
Even though the world had gone through one apocalypse, now that it was slowly returning to normal, such financial power was not something to be taken lightly.
Moreover, even now, the world is being swayed back and forth by this kind of money.
'The Association will move, and the Black Tower will also pay off its debts and begin activities in earnest. The reason they failed or faltered in whatever they did was probably because Kim Dae-san couldn't stand to see dark mages succeed...'
When Kim Dae-san seized power, he secured his base by advertising himself as a war hero and a patriot dedicated to the country. As a result, he won the presidential election and pushed for the country to establish itself as an Awakened nation, and consequently, it had become a powerful Awakened state.
He was a figure who had systematically coordinated the Awakened and had even defeated North Korea, which had been spewing out countless malicious Awakened as its regime collapsed, along with Japan and China, all at once. He was a hero among heroes.
Since he was even serving as president, that immense power must have made him feel something beyond sweetness, and it might be the fate of a politician to naturally ruin any group that might threaten his regime.
But the problem was, there were many questions about how much Kim Dae-san knew and how deeply he was involved.
Given that he handled so much information, I was skeptical that he was unaware of the Doomsday Cult or the existence of people like Wang Sun, who had entered the country from China without anyone knowing.
'For now, moving slowly is the answer.'
It remained to be seen how Pi Jinhyuk and Wang Sun would act, unlike me.
* * *
"Has the discussion progressed?"
As a muscular, sturdy man asked the question, Pi Jinhyuk, who was staring into his eyes, nodded.
"There will be nothing to worry about. We are planning to cause an incident that will grab the government's attention just in time."
"What is it?"
"It's one of the things China wants."
Wang Sun's eyes sparkled. "The desire of a great power is for a small nation to bow its head. We never really coveted this land; we just didn't like the behavior of a small nation that refused our rule and held its head high."
Pi Jinhyuk felt frustrated that they were still talking about "great powers" and "small nations" in this day and age, but since they were looking at the same sky, he nodded nonchalantly and said,
"If you take care of the enemy of the great power and my stumbling block, I can achieve what the great power desires. Furthermore... I am willing to provide this as well."
Pi Jinhyuk took something out of his subspace to show him, and Wang Sun jumped up from his seat upon seeing it.
"The Imperial Seal of the Ming Dynasty!!"
"I found it in the remains of the person who wielded this artifact during the war."
"Zhu Chang, his remains, right?"
Pi Jinhyuk nodded. "Isn't that enough as both revenge and payment?"
Zhu Chang was a mage known even in China, and he was also a tragic hero who had been killed by a man called the most wicked. Wang Sun, who couldn't possibly not know this, laughed.
"He’s quite entangled with us in a bad relationship. To desire not just his downfall, but his true death... this country is quite rotten, too."
"If you want something, you must obtain it, and if there is an obstacle, it is only natural to clear it away. So, I only hope that everything proceeds according to the natural order for the sake of the greater cause."
"When is the schedule?"
"A week from now. Please understand that since eyes are currently fixed on us, we must wait a little longer."
"I understand. Who would have known he would come to the Tower himself?"
As Wang Sun said, the sudden visit of Kim Seong-chan was uncomfortable for Pi Jinhyuk in many ways.
Moreover, he had thought he would settle things with Cheon Jong-un somehow, but everything had gone awry, and it was galling that even the Necronomicon had fallen into Cheon Jong-un's hands.
'Still, that Necronomicon is an item rumored to be fierce and ominous. Didn't they say it drove all its possessors to death?'
The reason it came to the Tower was by pure chance, but for now, he just hoped it would kill its possessor as its reputation suggested.
'If only Cheon Jong-un and Kim Seong-chan disappear, dark magic will walk the path of ruin.'
This was because, excluding the two who were relatively young among the four existing 7th Circle Masters, the remaining two were old men over 80.
Pi Jinhyuk had decided to handle the personnel that time couldn't solve.